2 Timothy 2
2
Serving Faithfully Despite Hardship
1 So you, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And entrust what you heard me say#tn Grk “what you heard from me” (cf. 1:13). in the presence of many others as witnesses#tn Grk “through many witnesses.” The “through” is used here to show attendant circumstances: “accompanied by,” “in the presence of.” to faithful people#tn Grk “faithful men”; but here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") is generic, referring to both men and women. who will be competent#tn Or “able” (see Paul’s use of this word in regard to ministry in 2 Cor 2:16; 3:5-6). to teach others as well. 3 Take your share of suffering#tn Grk “suffer hardship together,” implying “join with me and others in suffering” (cf. 1:8). as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please#tn Grk “that he may please.” the one who recruited him. 5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner#tn Grk “will not be crowned,” speaking of the wreath awarded to the victor. unless he competes according to the rules.#sn According to the rules (Grk “lawfully, by law”) referring to the rules of competition. In the ancient world these included requirements for training as well as rules for the competition itself. 6 The farmer who works hard ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think about what I am saying and#tn The Greek word here usually means “for,” but is used in this verse for a milder continuation of thought. the Lord will give you understanding of all this.#tn Grk “in all things.”
8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David;#tn Grk “of David’s seed” (an idiom for physical descent). such is my gospel,#tn Grk “according to my gospel.” 9 for which I suffer hardship to the point of imprisonment#tn Or “chains,” “bonds.” as a criminal, but God’s message#tn Or “word.” is not imprisoned!#tn Or “chained,” “bound.” 10 So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God,#tn Grk “the elect.” that they too may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory.#tn Grk “with eternal glory.” 11 This saying#sn This saying (Grk “the saying”) refers to the following citation. See 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; Titus 3:8 for other occurrences of this phrase. is trustworthy:#sn The following passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.
If we died with him, we will also live with him.
12 If we endure, we will also reign with him.#tn Grk “died together…will live together…will reign together,” without “him” stated explicitly. But “him” is implied by the parallel ideas in Rom 6:8; 8:17 and by the reference to Christ in vv. 12b-13.
If we deny#tn Or “renounce,” “disown,” “repudiate.” It is important to note that the object of Christ’s denial is “us.” The text does not contain an implied object complement (“he will deny us [x]”), which would mean that Christ was withholding something from us (for example, “The owner denied his pets water”), since the verb ἀρνέομαι (arneomai) is not one of the category of verbs that normally occurs in these constructions (see ExSyn 182-89). him,#tn Grk “if we renounce,” but the “him” is implied by the parallel clauses. he will also deny us.
13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.#sn If we are unfaithful…he cannot deny himself. This could be (1) a word of warning (The Lord will exact punishment; he cannot deny his holiness) or (2) a word of hope (Because of who he is, he remains faithful to us despite our lapses). The latter is more likely, since Paul consistently cites God’s faithfulness as a reassurance, not as a warning (cf. especially Rom 3:3; also 1 Cor 1:9; 10:13; 2 Cor 1:18; 1 Thess 5:24; 2 Thess 3:3).
Dealing with False Teachers
14 Remind people#tn Grk “remind of these things,” implying “them” or “people” as the object. of these things and solemnly charge them#tn Grk “solemnly charging.” The participle διαμαρτυρόμενος (diamarturomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. before the Lord#tc ‡ Most witnesses (A D Ψ 048 1739 1881 Ï sy) have κυρίου (kuriou, “Lord”) instead of θεοῦ (qeou, “God”) here, while a few have Χριστοῦ (Cristou, “Christ”; 206 {429 1758}). θεοῦ, however, is well supported by א C F G I 614 629 630 1175 al. Internally, the Pastorals never elsewhere use the expression ἐνώπιον κυρίου (enwpion kuriou, “before the Lord”), but consistently use ἐνώπιον θεοῦ (“before God”; cf. 1 Tim 2:3; 5:4, 21; 6:13; 2 Tim 4:1). But this fact could be argued both ways: The author’s style may be in view, or scribes may have adjusted the wording to conform it to the Pastorals’ universal expression. Further, only twice in the NT (Jas 4:10 [v.l. θεοῦ]; Rev 11:4 [v.l. θεοῦ]) is the expression ἐνώπιον κυρίου found. That such an expression is not found in the corpus Paulinum seems to be sufficient impetus for scribes to change the wording here. Thus, although the external evidence is somewhat on the side of θεοῦ, the internal evidence is on the side of κυρίου. A decision is difficult, but κυρίου is the preferred reading. not to wrangle over words. This is of no benefit; it just brings ruin on those who listen.#tn Grk “[it is] beneficial for nothing, for the ruin of those who listen.” 15 Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately.#sn Accurately is a figure of speech that literally means something like “cutting a straight road.” In regard to the message of truth, it means “correctly handling” or “imparting it without deviation.” 16 But avoid profane chatter,#sn Profane chatter was apparently a characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus (cf. 1 Tim 1:3-4; 4:7; 6:20). because those occupied with it will stray further and further into ungodliness,#tn Grk “they [who engage in it] will progress even more in ungodliness.” 17 and their message will spread its infection#tn Or “eat away.” like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are in this group.#tn Grk “of whom are Hymenaeus and Philetus.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, this last clause has been made a new sentence in the translation. 18 They have strayed from the truth#tn Grk “have deviated concerning the truth.” by saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are undermining some people’s faith. 19 However, God’s solid foundation remains standing, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,”#sn A quotation from Num 16:5. and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord#tn Grk “names the name of the Lord.” must turn away from evil.”
20 Now in a wealthy home#tn Grk “a great house.” there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also ones made of wood and of clay, and some are for honorable use, but others for ignoble use.#tn Grk “for dishonor,” probably referring to vessels used for refuse or excrement. 21 So if someone cleanses himself of such behavior,#tn Grk “from these,” alluding to the errors and deeds of the false teachers described in vv. 14-19. he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 But keep away from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace, in company with others#tn Grk “and peace, with those.” who call on the Lord from a pure heart.#sn In company with others who call on the Lord from a pure heart alludes to the value of the community of believers for the development of Christian virtues. 23 But reject foolish and ignorant#tn Or “uninstructed,” “silly.” controversies, because you know they breed infighting.#tn Or “fights,” although this could suggest weapons and blows, whereas in the present context this is not the primary focus. Although “quarrel” is frequently used here (NAB, NIV, NRSV) it may be understood to refer to a relatively minor disagreement. 24 And the Lord’s slave#tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.sn Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.” must not engage in heated disputes#tn Grk “must not fight” or “must not quarrel.” The Greek verb is related to the noun translated “infighting” in v. 23. but be kind toward all, an apt teacher, patient, 25 correcting#sn Correcting is the word for “child-training” or “discipline.” It is often positive (training, educating) but here denotes the negative side (correcting, disciplining). opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance and then knowledge of the truth#tn Grk “repentance unto knowledge of the truth.” 26 and they will come to their senses and escape the devil’s trap where they are held captive#tn Grk “having been captured by him.” to do his will.#tn Grk “for that one’s will,” referring to the devil, but with a different pronoun than in the previous phrase “by him.” Some have construed “for his will” with the earlier verb and referred the pronoun to God: “come to their senses and escape the devil’s trap (though they have been captured by him) in order to do His will.” In Classical Greek the shift in pronouns would suggest this, but in Koine Greek this change is not significant. The more natural sense is a reference to the devil’s will.
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2 Timothy 2
2
A Loyal Soldier of Christ Jesus
1Timothy, you are like a son to me. Be strong in the grace that we have in Christ Jesus. 2You and many others have heard what I have taught. You should teach the same thing to some people you can trust. Then they will be able to teach it to others. 3Share in the troubles that we have. Accept them like a true soldier of Christ Jesus. 4A soldier wants to please his commanding officer, so he does not waste his time doing the things that most people do. 5If an athlete is running a race, he must obey all the rules in order to win. 6The farmer who works hard should be the first person to get some of the food that he grew. 7Think about these things that I am saying. The Lord will give you the ability to understand all these things.
8Remember Jesus Christ. He is from the family of David. After Jesus died, he was raised from death. This is the Good News that I preach, 9and I am suffering because of that Good News. I am even bound with chains like a criminal. But God’s teaching is not in chains. 10So I patiently accept all these troubles. I do this so that those whom God has chosen can have the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. With that salvation comes glory that never ends.
11This teaching is true:
If we died with him,
then we will also live with him.
12If we accept suffering,
then we will also rule with him.
If we say we don’t know him,
then he will say he doesn’t know us.
13If we are not faithful,
he will still be faithful,
because he must be true to who he is.
A Worker Pleasing to God
14Continue teaching these things. And warn people before God not to argue about words. Arguing about words does not help anyone, and it ruins those who listen. 15Do the best you can to be the kind of person that God will approve, and give yourself to him. Be a worker who is not ashamed of his work—a worker who uses the true teaching in the right way. 16Stay away from those who talk about useless worldly things. That kind of talk will lead a person more and more away from God. 17Their evil teaching will spread like a sickness inside the body. Hymenaeus and Philetus are men like that. 18They have left the true teaching. They say that the rising from death of all men has already taken place. And those two men are destroying the faith of some people. 19But God’s strong foundation continues to stand. These words are written on that foundation: “The Lord knows those who belong to him.”# Quotation from Numbers 16:5. And also these words are written on that foundation, “Everyone who says that he believes in the Lord must stop doing wrong.”
20In a large house there are things made of gold and silver. But also there are things made of wood and clay. Some things are used for special purposes, and others are made for ordinary jobs. 21If anyone makes himself clean from evil things, he will be used for special purposes. He will be made holy, and the Master can use him. He will be ready to do any good work.
22Stay away from the evil desires of youth. Try hard to live right and to have faith, love, and peace. Work for these things together with those who have pure hearts and who trust in the Lord. 23Stay away from foolish and stupid arguments. You know that such arguments grow into bigger arguments. 24And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel! He must be kind to everyone. He must be a good teacher. He must be patient. 25The Lord’s servant must gently teach those who do not agree with him. Maybe God will let them change their hearts so that they can accept the truth. 26The devil has trapped them and causes them to do what he wants. But maybe they can wake up and free themselves from the devil’s trap.
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